Jewish and Anti-Israel?

Q.

Do I have to side with Israel on everything just because I’m Jewish? I feel conflicted about Israel these days. I want to defend it, but all around me, the news and social media are making it hard to know how or why. Also, people say anti-Zionism is the same as antisemitism. If I don’t agree with something Israel does, does that make me a Jewish antisemite? 

A.

There are some things about Israel that are simple. Awesome falafel, tangible holiness, centuries of history saturating the streets, incredible technological accomplishments. Other things are… complicated. Wars, rights, religiosity, identity. Being a center of religious life for multiple peoples. It’s a tiny piece of land with a whole lot going on. 

Your question itself is symptomatic of a huge issue we’re seeing all over the internet and news these days: a combination of generalizing and conflation. We’re missing a lot of nuance. We’re quick to call things antisemitism that aren’t - we might not like them, but that doesn’t make them actually antisemitic. Do you know what the differences are between antizonism and antisemitism? Are they exchangeable? Or are they used to describe distinct phenomena? 

Some of this may seem like mere semantics to some of our readers, but one super important Jewish lesson for life is: always define your terms. An honest intellectual process, let alone discussion, can’t happen without clear definitions of what’s being addressed. For example, spending your life trying to be a “good” person can get complicated if it’s not very clear to you what a “good” person actually looks like or does. 

Being critical of the Israeli government, or its policies, doesn’t make you an antizionist or an antisemite, much like being critical of a friend’s decision doesn’t mean that you hate them. Criticism, done respectfully and in the search of truth, is an important part of learning and growth. 

Israel itself is a complex and multinational country; even the Jews living there have diverse values and needs, let alone all the people of other religions that call it home. That said, its governmental decisions, much like the reality in our own country, are only going to make so many people happy. You don’t always have to be one of them, and unfortunately, with the odds as they are, you only will be happy with them about fifty percent of the time anyway. 

Unfortunately, with the digital and social media climate being what it is today, people who question Israeli policy will quickly be labeled an antisemite. Or, if they appreciate something about Israel’s military moral compass, they must be Islamophobes. Western society, to an alarming degree, seems to have lost its capacity for nuanced, intellectual discussion, with blind partisan loyalty seemingly taking its place.

It’s ok to be confused about Israel. The reality is, it’s a complex situation, and anyone who tells you otherwise really isn’t seeking a balanced perspective. No matter what side you’re on, the reality is that people have been hurt, displaced, attacked and misunderstood. Justified or unjustified, misled or misconstrued, proactive or reactive, there are still two narratives and two experiences. Recognizing the realities of the human beings on both sides of the equation is the first step.

Then, there’s the question of accountability. Unraveling all the history and its consequences is vital to taking an educated position or judging a given action. It’s not easy, but it can be done. But you shouldn’t offer opinions until you do, and you shouldn’t take too seriously the opinions of people who haven’t, either. 

In the study of Torah, we believe that there can be many ways of interpreting a text or legal matter. One of those perspectives will end up being the “correct” one at the end of the day, which will have practical bearing on our actions; but to get that point one must engage in a rigorous analytical process to find the faults in the other methods of reasoning and arrive at the “true” conclusion. But we don’t draw conclusions unless we’ve studied the matter well, or we follow the conclusions of someone who has. The goal is to think critically about others’ positions as well as about your own, because that’s the only way to access actual, objective truth. Truth-seeking being the ultimate goal of all our intellectual pursuits. It’s what Jews are all about. 

You’re a Jew. Israel will always be your homeland and spiritual base. That is true no matter what its government does or doesn’t do. Your Jewish brothers and sisters living there have been through a lot, they’ve accomplished a lot, and there’s a lot to be proud of over there. If you want to understand the conflict, be a good Jew about it -- ask questions, learn, read up on it, ask more questions, and go visit as soon as you can! 

And make sure to bring me back some falafel.